


Berserker Reyes

by LadyKnight33



Series: Reaper76 Collections [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Backstory on why Reyes needed Moira, Berserker Gabe, Betrayal, Consequences of SEP, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Starfishdrawz, story sketch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21856930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKnight33/pseuds/LadyKnight33
Summary: Inspired by Starfishdrawz's sketch.What if Gabriel Reyes became so unpredictable and dangerous that Overwatch needed to imprison him.
Relationships: Reaper | Gabriel Reyes & Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Series: Reaper76 Collections [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584623
Kudos: 32





	Berserker Reyes

**Author's Note:**

> Check out Starfishdrawz's sketch on Tumblr at 
> 
> https://starfishdrawz.tumblr.com/post/184489808280/what-if-overwatch-deemed-gabe-to-unpredictable-and
> 
> This was a fun piece to put together. I really want to make it novel quality, but don't have the time and really should get back to the other two novels I got going on.

**Berserker Reyes**

**Part 1: Intro**

When his face smacked against the concrete for the third time, Jack felt bones crack in his nose. Thick warm liquid splattered next time his cheek slammed into the bloody pool. The massive weight of an enhanced soldier disappeared from his back. Shouts and gunfire echoed in the rotunda of the Switzerland base. The Strike Commander’s senses barely registered any of it. Under the swelling forcing his eyes shut, Jack focused every remaining piece of energy on his attacker.

Gabriel Reyes looked feral. A man gone berserk. Straining against steel ropes. Growling in fury. Teeth gnashing at anyone who came close. The nightmarish scene before him was not the man Jack had known. Something dark, shadowy, overtook the enhanced soldier adding to already considerable strength. It was the only way Gabriel could completely dominate his long time friend in a fight. At that moment Jack fully believed the Blackwatch Commander would break loose.

Red eyes met his disbelieving blue. Deep within those recesses pain and determination lingered. To see Reyes bound heavily and straining to get free to continue the fight destroyed Jack’s trust in his friend. He promised to find out who caused this devastation.

And he would start with the most likely source.

Moira O’deorain.

**Part 2: Source**

“Fascinating.” Dr. O’deorain stood regally before the cell reinforced with hard light. Despite the cuffs pinning her wrists to the small of her back, Moira appeared in full command of the broad corridor. “He has destabilized quite spectacularly.” Within the cell Reyes knelt, glaring out at the crowd come to gawk at him. 

The Strike Commander forced himself to stand beside the geneticist during this part of the investigation. He had no desire continue his association with the doctor, but Gabriel had forced the issue by accepting her into the bowels of Blackwatch. “What have you done? And how do we fix it?”

“Oh… Is that all, Commander? To be perfectly honest with you, I have done nothing. That is to say, nothing that would cause this phenomena. Perhaps you are not aware of why Gabriel sought my selective brand of knowledge. I would be delighted to explain my hypothesis. On one condition. No restraints.” Moira gave a small shrug of her shoulders and side long glanced into the crowd. Towards the two senior Blackwatch Agents responsible for taking her into custody. 

Jack scowled as he weighed the options. They needed to know why Gabriel had gone berserk and the only one who had any knowledge that might help them could bargain her way out of Fort Knox without anyone suspecting her of stealing the missing gold. “McCree. Undo her handcuffs. Moira, I expect the unabridged version.”

“Of course, Commander. But I want you to understand, the condition Gabriel asked my assistance in treating began with that experiment the American Government put you two through. The results of which were quite extraordinary. It is curious that you have not suffered the same ill effects as any of the others.” Moira’s coy smug smile searched for details Jack had long ago buried. His newly healed brow narrowed, insisting the scientist continue.

**Part 3: Explain**

The story that unfolded shattered any remains of Jack’s heart. Side effects from SEP were nothing new to either soldier. They had seen men and women fail both within the facility and in the middle of battle. Jack had always been privately glad neither himself nor Gabriel suffered such biological disasters. Only Reyes had not told the truth.

His body was already on the brink of failure. Not Jack. Not Ana. Not even Angela knew. Gabriel continued to work as though he were at the peak of health. No one thought to question otherwise. Why Gabriel had not told any of them dwelled briefly in the back of Jack’s mind. He dismissed it immediately. Had the Blackwatch Commander confided in any of them, the man would have been benched. Reyes did not take kindly to doing nothing.

Listening to Moira’s tale brought one crucial detail to light. SEP had destroyed the very bonds of Gabriel’s DNA. It had been a slow-to-reveal side effect. One even the scientists who created the program probably never foresaw. Now so few of those scientists existed, Reyes had been forced to seek help in the shadows. Ethics be damned. The man so insistent on never becoming another experiment had no other option.

For now the monster his best friend had become knelt passively in the darkest corner of the cell. Listening to every word. Jack had no way to judge if Gabriel comprehended any of it. Meeting those horrific red orbs, the Strike Commander let the difficult decisions run through his mind. “How do we fix this?”

“In case you weren’t listening, I was trying to prevent this from happening.” Moira scowled.

“As you can see you failed.” Jack motioned harshly to the creature taking Gabriel’s features. This wasn’t Gabriel Reyes. There had to be a way to return his friend. “So back to how do we fix this?” There were very few people Jack had to physically look up to. The fact that Moira was one of them rankled every nerve in his body. “McCree, you’re now in charge of Blackwatch. Get a team you trust to guard her. Coordinate with Lieutenant Koob. I want two sets of eyes on her at all time.” The interim Blackwatch Commander scowled under his black cowboy hat. Well, no one was pleased with this turn of events.

**Part 4: Escape**

The very walls of the base vibrated. No earthquake was reported and it was the wrong season for avalanches. Jack and half the base rushed to the containment wing. The cause of this disturbance was obvious. But the strength required was astronomical. “Athena, evacuate non essential personnel!” Last thing the Strike Commander needed was for Reyes to somehow mange the impossible of destroying the Swiss Base from within or escaping to rampage across its grounds. They had a hard enough time capturing him the first time.

Greeting him at the scene was Gabriel ramming into the barriers of hard light and tungsten bars. Shoulders or head. The man ran full force into the cage holding him. Moira was on the far side trying to talk the berserk soldier down. McCree in a better position calling in for reinforcements. Jack shed his long blue coat immediately. He was the reinforcements. No one else stood a chance against an enhanced soldier. Considering the results of the last time, Jack wasn’t sure how long he could keep up the fight. But at least he knew what he was up against this time.

The hard light shattered.

Though bent beyond repair the bars did not have enough space for a muscular soldier to slip between. That’s when Gabriel surprised them all. Black tendrils of smoke wound their way from the man’s body. Feral grin and cold red eyes studied the scene. The minutes drew out into eternity. They were watching a man dematerialize before their very eyes. Moira’s wide mismatched gaze bespoke of wonder. The scientist not realizing how much danger she was truly in.

“Get away from him!” Jack’s call brought those empty red eyes to him immediately. Time snapped to the present. The dematerialization was incomplete. Just enough to shrink the man to step through the bars. Gabriel’s wrists remained bound by the electromagnetic handcuffs. In one blinding fast motion, two fists hammered into the lithe scientist’s chest. Moira slammed into the bars of a distant cell. 

It was all eerily silent. Only the smack of flesh and reverberations of a body hitting metal.

McCree realized he was the next target. Yet his bullets did nothing more than incite low growls of annoyance. Gabriel lunged forward. Two hands gripped around the gunslinger’s throat before the man had a chance to retreat. Jack rushed in. His right hook used to be strong enough to force Gabriel to stagger. Now it was just barely enough to twist the man’s head to the side. It was enough to bring all that considerable hatred, fear, and immense pain bleeding through the red glow taking resident in Gabriel’s eyes on to the Strike Commander.

The cowboy took the smart move and scrambled away. Jack squared off against the force of nature that was Gabriel Reyes. The monster he wanted to see in this being, faltered just a second. Gabriel sneered. The only warning before Jack dodged his old friend. The concrete stairs crumbled under Gabriel fists. Those red eyes actually looked puzzled for a moment. 

**Part 5: Fight**

Jack’s only goal was to occupy Gabriel’s time until the rest of the team gathered enough equipment pin him down. Reports listed over a hundred soldiers involved in subduing the berserk commander. He seized the momentary confusion and swung with both his fists clamped together. Poor form and a whole lot of force. Every instructor he knew would be furious with him. But it did push the wall of muscle named Gabriel Reyes into the wall. 

Anger welled up within those eyes. No. Not just anger. Fury. Outrage. Jack had seen this look on Gabriel’s face before when taking down a contingent of Omnics that had massacred civilians. Gabriel never let anger rule his emotions. But on that day it was allowed free reign and scarred everyone who witnessed it. Now it consolidated onto one target. Jack Morrison.

His attempts to block were dismal. This monster inside Gabriel’s body was too strong. Too vicious. Every strike dented, broke the blue armor as Jack tried to shield himself. When those bound hands gripped Jack’s throat, Jack actually found a chance. Soft spots were almost always the same. A strong heel to the groin and Gabriel weakened. A sharp kick to his kneecap and the man went down. It wasn’t a long pause. And no one to follow up on it. 

And the glare Gabriel produced chilled the blood running through Jack’s veins. Payback was about to become vicious. Instead of attacking immediately, Gabriel regained his footing. Then he flexed and slowly the electromagnetic handcuffs started to separate. It was a show of strength. Jack would be lying if he claimed to be unaffected. 

He never saw the strike coming. The familiar fist to his jaw rammed his head into the tile. Like before it was greater force than Gabriel had ever had. Then another. One hand held Jack in place and the other slowly overcame the magnetic attraction of the handcuffs to rear back for another strike. This wasn’t the same animalistic berserker Jack lost to in the rotunda. This was more calculated. This was revenge against those who imprisoned him.

It was only in that strange silence broken by flesh violently impacting flesh that Jack heard the click. Gabriel heard it too if his pause was anything to go by. Neither registered the cause until Gabriel reared back, clenching a metal collar around his neck. He scream, thrashed, pulled at the collar. It was unmoving. Clearly causing him significant pain. The electromagnetic handcuffs snapped together. The first indication of Gabriel loosing the battle with the collar. 

**Part 6: Collared**

Someone was propping Jack up as his vision wavered. SEP advanced healing or not, Jack wasn’t sure he could keep going against this berserker. He hated seeing his friend like this. Hated causing him pain. Hated fighting him. Abruptly the red glow vanished from the man’s eyes. The deep brown wide eyed in terror met Jack’s exhausted blue. Guilt entered those eyes alongside the pain. Jack reached out, breath trying to form one word, “Gabe.” Then finally Gabriel was unconscious. 

Support staff rushed into the scene. Medical personnel started healing what they could. Military pulled Gabriel back into the cell before anyone started diagnostics on him. It took Jack far too long to realize that Ana was in his face for a reason.“…r me, Jack? Jack, snap out of it. Come on, let’s get you somewhere you can lie down.”

“I’m fine, Ana.”

“You are not fine. You haven’t heard a thing I said.”

“How’s Gabriel?”

Ana rolled her eyes and blew an annoyed sighed towards the ceiling before looking back at Jack. “He’s probably the only one that can be considered physically fine. McCree is in the infirmary with severe bruising and swelling around his trachea. O’Deorain is being treated for internal bleeding. Dr. Ziegler is anticipating good outcomes for both, but you can never be certain. Now, let’s get you looked at. Probably another concussion to add to the first.”

“What is that?” Jack lurched forward to cling to the bars of Gabriel’s new cell.

“It is a collar Winston and I created in hopes of containing Commander Reyes’s outbursts.” The polite electronic voice of Echo wafted down the stairs. “We were of the opinion that there would eventually be insufficient assistance to subdue him if something else was not done. Many who were involved with the initial conflict are still out on medical leave. I am sorry it was not in place before now.”

“It is fine, Echo. Thank you.” Jack gripped the bars tightly as a wave of dizziness passed through him. When he could restore his focus Ana had a silver remote in her hand. “No. Make sure the guard on duty has it. I can’t, Ana.”

“You mean to tell me that you’ll let him beat you to a pulp. Again.”

“If it comes down to it. Yes. I can’t in good conscious be the one to do that to him.”

“Very well. Now let’s go.” Ana lightly pulled on his shoulder. “Jack. You can’t do any good down here.” The Strike Commander’s shoulders sagged with this knowledge. He knew this. Yet all he wanted was to stay with his long time partner. This time he allowed Ana to escort him to the medical ward. There Angela cleared him to rest in his room with Athena monitoring.

**Part 7: Meeting**

Jack had to use a conference room for this meeting rather than his office. His hands steepled before his lips as he surveyed the collection of doctors and scientists. “Something. Somebody give me something. Anything.” Silence met his inquiry. “So you mean to tell me the best minds in the world can’t tell me what is wrong with Reyes. Much less how to fix him.”

“I’ve been trying to fix him for months.” Moira studied her nails as she spoke. The condescending tone etched the scowl deeper onto the Strike Commander’s face.

Dr. Ziegler interrupted as she recognized a potential flashpoint. “Biologically my scans cannot detect anything wrong with his health.” Piercing blue eyes pinned her. Hastily she added, “Obviously there is a mental component that I cannot identify. What I am saying is there is not an illness that is known. His body is functioning normally.”

“Because it is a genetic issue.”

“If it is a genetic issue, why haven’t you been able to isolate the problem?” Jack snapped in the direction of the redheaded scientist. 

“As I have told you, Commander, it is not that simple. The cells, the very molecules that make up Commander Reyes are pulling themselves apart. What I have been able to accomplish is patching his DNA, but it has required constant monitoring. Now the brain is complicated. Should neurons or synapses be subjected to interference, any number of variables… What Dr. Ziegler says is true. Commander Reyes is in otherwise perfect physical health. More evaluations and tests are needed.”

“How many more days is that going to take?” Jack demanded. No answers were forthcoming. “Torbjorn, tell me you have ways to improve the detention area.”

“Well. Not exactly. Without knowing more about what he is capable of, we can’t improve the containment. Nor has he attempted to break free again. The collar seems to be doing its job.” The engineer actually looked apologetic.

“We can’t leave him like this.”

“Uh, Commander, if I may,” the gorilla shifted awkwardly in the back of the conference room.

“Go ahead, Winston.” Jack tried to clear the frustration from his voice. None of these people were at fault. All of them were trying their hardest to find a solution to this unusual problem.  
“I have been going over the data Athena’s collected, from before and after the collar was placed onto Commander Reyes. The electrical discharge combined with the continuous neurological stimulation seems to have disrupted…. something. Commander Reyes’s movements and behavior have appeared less erratic.”

“First good news all day. Any idea why?” Puzzled surprise met his request. “Find out!”

**Part 8: Midnight**

Jack woke up not knowing why. His quarters were still dark with soft blue lights highlighting the floor. Sitting up he cast his gaze around, certain there was something watching him. He hadn’t felt this since the Omnic Crisis. He was about to call Athena when a shadow moved. Tall broad, hooded with two orbs of red glowing from the depths. “Gabe?” The shadow suddenly shifted and reappeared next to the bed. Startled Jack leaned away. “Gabe, I don’t know how to fix this. They don’t know what’s wrong.” 

Even if it was a dream, Jack couldn’t lie to his friend. Gabriel deserved to know the truth. The shadow sagged. The red eyes disappeared in disappointment. Abruptly the shadow dissolved and rushed across the floor.“ Gabe! Wait! WAIT!” Jack scrambled out of bed chasing the black mist. He thudded to the floor, hand reaching for the vent where most of the smoke vanished. “Gabe, wait. Please.” 

A thin tendril remained poking out of the vent cover. It twisted as if curiously studying the grown man laying flat on his belly on the floor. “I promise I will find out. We won’t stop working on it. Promise.” The smoke tendril thickened and looped around Jack’s outstretched hand. It squeezed gently. Accepting the promise. Then disappearing down the air ducts. 

**Part 9: Company**

Jack took the stairs into the detention block. He had not seen Gabriel in days. By his fault. He should have journeyed here the morning after he encountered the shadowy form of his friend. Tried then to offer hope even when no one had answers. Instead he pushed the scientists for answers. Demanded more resources for their disposal. He couldn’t rest until they managed a breakthrough. Yet every day yielded only disappointment. 

He came today only because Gabriel deserved the truth. Nothing worked.

The guard on duty jumped to attention. “Sir! Didn’t know you were coming.”

Jack waved down the man’s salute. “Just visiting. Not going to open the cell or anything.” Jack gave a half smile at the jest. It managed to ease the guard’s tension. Standing before the bars with the red eyes glowing up at him from the shadows, put Jack on edge. Gabriel never moved. Kneeling on the concrete with the mask of evil set on his face.

The guard offered commentary. No doubt recognizing the sad question forming in the Strike Commander’s eyes. “They say he’s been like that for days.”

“He’s always been stubborn like that. Since the day I met him he wouldn’t stop until he got done what needed to be done. I’m just going to sit with him for a while.” Jack levered himself down to the floor. Sitting across from where Gabriel knelt behind the bars. 

“I can get you a chair, sir.” The guard hastily turned to his post.

“No need. This is preferred “ Jack felt more comfortable at eye level with Gabriel. Given their history on the battlefield this felt more natural. What would they say to seeing the Strike Commander on the ground in the detention block? Jack didn’t care. This was to give his partner some much needed company. “They don’t know what to do with you. I don’t know what to do. Moira, Angela, and even Winston don’t know if it is possible to fix this beyond finding better restraints. I need you back, Gabe.”

Red eyes glinted dangerously when the monster within Gabriel’s body turned his head. That darkness controlling his old friend shifted. One eye cleared of the redness. Through gritted teeth in a harsh growl Gabriel managed the first words spoken since he went berserk. “Find. Better. Restraints.” Pain infused each syllable. A howl of agony preceded the eruption of dark red welts along the man’s arms. Whatever had taken ahold of Gabriel was getting worse.

Jack knelt at the bars, gripping them tightly as he couldn’t reach past the hard light barrier. “Gabe….We’re working on it. Just hang on. Please.”

**Part 10: Pause**

Two of the best technical minds in Overwatch worked tirelessly to create a new set of restraints for Reyes. Echo and Winston presented their work with painful pride. It was a masterpiece of engineering and biomechanics, yet it was designed to control their friend. Neither wished their creation on anyone. And both hoped it would allow the Blackwatch Commander to regain his mental faculties. Jack held the massive silver collar with the red diodes and only felt sorrow. Neither Moira nor Angela could find a way to return Gabriel to himself, requiring this restraint.

“Now how do we replace the old one?” That was not a question anyone had put much thought into. Jack resigned himself to yet another brutal encounter with the berserk enhanced soldier. “Then let’s get to work.” The Strike Commander shouldered the responsibility and led the way to the detention block. His cohort grew to include many soldiers ready to subdue the monster. His friend.

Greeting them behind the hard light and the vertical bars were the sharp glowing red eyes. Sitting on the thin metal foldout bed, Gabriel glared at them. Contained energy roiling within those eyes. Exuding the desire to rip off his bonds and murder all those present. With a dip in his gaze to the titanium alloy collar still within Jack’s grasp, Gabriel snarled. The fight just began.

“Be ready. I do not know when the moment will present itself.” Jack shed his command duster and handed both the cloth and collar to a waiting soldier. He signaled for the barriers to be dropped. He would never be prepared for this. Gabriel did not move. His muscles tensed. He bared his teeth. But he did not budge from where he sat. Perhaps somewhere deep within the monster wearing Gabriel’s skin the man Jack knew still existed. Or he was just biding his time. “You said better restraints, Gabe.”

One step into the cell and nothing. Nothing until Jack reached for the crackling piece of technology. Two cuffed hands snapped up to grab his wrist. Tighter than iron vices. Brown irises blinked through the red. Acknowledgement? A warning? Then that tilt of the head. The one Gabriel did when trying to take all details into consideration. A flick of the gaze over Jack’s shoulder revealed the second soldier entering the cell. Gabriel’s hands tightened further. Any more and Jack might lose circulation. The exchange had to be quick. Due to the size of the collars they could not fit one on without removing the other.

Quick or brutal. Jack dreaded the latter.

**Part 11: Switched**

Both men had their hands inches from Gabriel’s neck. One to undo the collar. The other to snap one into place. Jack was unmeasurably glad Gabriel’s hands were locked onto his wrist. The click of the release triggered the berserker.

Despite the short range of motion, Gabriel’s strength tossed Jack back against the bars. Another thud and clatter announced his backup hadn’t faired well either. Jack was on his feet and blocking the opening while Gabriel snarled. Black smoke swirling around him. More formed than the shadow that visited him that night. Jack’s friend was turning to smoke before his very eyes. The wrists restraints prevented a full transformation. The transfiguration was still enough to slip Jack’s grasp, slide through the bars, and stumble into the shocked crowd. 

Pain consumed Gabriel’s features. This wasn’t what a human body was made for.

Jack grabbed the collar and raced around the bars. Gabriel made a beeline for the stairs, smashing everyone out of his way with two bound fists. Grown men tossed about as nothing more significant than rag dolls. Steel ropes failed to take hold. Gabriel’s incorporeal form let them pass through him. But the screech each time shattered eardrums. This was not the same berserker that nearly killed Jack twice. This was a man trying to run but was too exhausted. A body not in control of itself. 

A massive shadow blocked the stairway. Winston. One of the soldiers must have called for backup. A desperate attempt, but might be what they needed right then. Gabriel rushed ahead. No doubt believing his ungodly strength enough to move the massive genetically enhanced gorilla. The scientist winced but did not budge. 

They had found Gabriel’s limit at last. Winston had never been trained for fighting, but his bulk and natural strength prevented Gabriel from escaping. The berserker back stepped. His only exit blocked by an unmovable wall of flesh. The gorilla didn’t give the man a chance to find another way. With a massive hand Winston grabbed the Blackwatch Commander and slammed him to the ground. “Sorry, sir. I’m sure you’ll understand when you’re in your right mind.”

Gabriel thrashed violently. Red eyes blazing and those strange welts glowing. Jack slipped the collar on. Once it clicked together the struggle ceased. Tentatively Winston removed his hand. Eyes closed and unmoving, Gabriel might have been unconscious. Jack knew better. The dark brow knitted together and the man’s jaw clenched. Jack knelt close and tried to smooth away the frustration building within his friend. “Gabe? The only way we know this is working is if you talk to us.” Or strike out yet again. Jack was ready for either response.

Not the weary, defeated words, “Leave me here.”

“Gabe?”

“Leave me here.” Gabriel stated firmly as if the first time had not been audible to all those conscious in the detention block. “I’ve done enough.”

“We need to at least talk about what happened. That wasn’t you.”

“Wasn’t it?” Gabriel’s eyes opened, locking onto Jack’s. Within the light brown irises an unsettling crimson lurked. “How many times did I smash your head in?” Jack didn’t know. He was certain he blacked out during the first fight. “Twenty-eight. One hundred and thirty four punches. Eighty seven kicks. And hundreds injured if not dead by my hand. I remember, Jack. I remember every last second when I was powerless to control myself. So leave me here.” The pain lingering within those eyes was not physical. The man most devoted to the mission of Overwatch knew he had betrayed it.

“For now.” Jack relented. The Strike Commander rose and motioned for two able bodied soldiers to escort Reyes to an undamaged cell. Bars closed and hard light flickered into place. He was back to his original problem. Finding out what happened to Gabriel Reyes. And it still pointed back to Moira O’Deorain.

**Part 12: Chance**

Once again Jack entered the detention block alone. Once again Gabriel Reyes was on the floor. Only this time he was seated against the wall, one knee propping up his arms where he buried his head. The guard opened the cell and Jack entered silently. Taking up a similar position next to his friend, Jack rested his head on the cinderblock wall, gazing up at the blank cement ceiling. Gabriel spoke first. “It’s getting worse. I can feel it tearing me part. This isn’t going to hold me together much longer.” Exclaiming this were the increased sizes of the glowing red welts along his arms and no doubt across the rest of Gabriel’s body.

“Then we find a way to keep you together. Dr. O’Deorain, Dr. Ziegler, Winston, Echo and a host of other scientists are working on it.”

Gabriel lifted his head cautiously and Jack gave him a reassuring smile. His friend rolled his eyes and sat up properly. “But…”

“But they need you to help test devices or medical cures and such.” Jack recognized the scowl forming on his friend’s face. One that said the choices were rotten. He wasn’t going to disagree. Jack pushed thick black fabric into Gabriel’s chest. “Moira actually said something useful the other day. What SEP did to us didn’t happen in a day. Fixing it can’t happen in a day either.”

“I’m sure you left out her much more colorful use of the language.” Gabriel shrugged into the black hoodie. Hands tucked deep in the front pocket and head hidden by the hood, Gabriel relaxed slightly. Silence stretched between them as the man made his decisions. It wasn’t a bad silence. Jack waited patiently. Reyes always took his time with important matters. Ones including his health and very life required it. “I hate being a lab rat,” he sighed. “I can’t believe you of all people are working with Moira.”

Jack shrugged. “She’s the only one who really seems to know what is happening to you. I don’t like it. Don’t like that you never told us. But I want to see you well again. Whatever it takes.” Jack wouldn’t berate Gabriel’s choices. Not now. No matter how much he disagreed with the methods. The man had always tried to do what was right for himself, his friends and the world. Jack hoped he could trust Gabriel’s instincts again. His rage on this matter had passed.

Lowering the hood, Gabriel finally turned to look at him properly. Crimson lurked within those eyes, twisting and tearing unnaturally. “Limited options. Why I sought her help in the first place. Jack… The others… The ones that I….”

He knew the question Gabriel couldn’t form. “Three. Three died despite medical treatment. The rest are recovering.” As he related the dreadful news, Gabriel closed his eyes and bowed his head. Regret suffusing his entire body. Black smoke rose from his fingers, from his shoulders, from the crown of his head. Gabriel cringed, trying to contain the dissipation of his own body. Jack waited. There was nothing more he could do. 

“I don’t what this to happen again, Jack.”

Gabriel’s eyes tracked every motion as Jack stood. They were two soldiers trying to salvage what the past had taken from them. Holding his hand out to his old friend, Jack tried to smile. “Come on then. I can’t fix you, but the people upstairs have a chance.”

**Part 13: Resignation**

It was good to see Gabriel walking around the base again. Though silver and red glinted from the collar under the thick black hoodie and at the man’s wrists when they were exposed. Gabriel did his best to hide those bindings. His hood was almost always up and his hands almost always in his massive front pocket. Everyone on base knew despite the careful concealing. At least in Jack’s office, Gabriel lowered his hood. The man looked exhausted. Fighting the changes and dealing with a constant battery of tests would do that to a man.

“You haven’t approved my resignation.”

“And I’m not going to.”

“Jack…” Gabriel finally met his eyes. “I can’t. Mentally or physically. And it boils down to the fact that I can’t continue to be in command when I have to wear this.” Gabriel yanked down the collar of his hoodie to show off the restraining collar. Like always, Gabriel was right. Most people would continue to see the device as a signifier of a prisoner rather than the medical assistance device it currently served. 

“I still need you. You understand Blackwatch and world events far better than myself.”

“You’re doing fine. And Jesse is doing great. But think about it. Petras has been trying to dismantle Overwatch for years and I can’t help but think it is to get rid of us. It’s time for us to step down. Let new faces take over. We’re relics of a different time. Soldiers without a war.”

“And all the threats you’ve outlined prior to all this…. Namely Talon.”

“It’s a terrorist group. It’s not a battlefront.”

Jack frowned at his desk. He sighed and finally got up and approached Gabriel. “I’m not doing this without you.”

“I’m going to submit my resignation every day until you accept it.” That was the determination Gabriel was known for.

“Gabe… I’m not going to accept it until Director Petras accepts mine. I put it in three days ago. The same day you put in yours.” Gabriel stood in stunned silence. “Without Ana… and Reinhardt… Gabe… I know why you want to leave. And I’m okay with that. Just… I’m being selfish. I don’t want to be the only one left from the old guard.”

**Part 14: Plan**

Gabriel huffed and stuck his hands back into the wide front pocket of the hoodie. “I won’t leave you alone, Jack. Just… Moira thinks she has isolated a way to stabilize my genetics. But she needs her lab in Oasis.”

“What does Oasis have that Overwatch doesn’t?”

“Loose moral ethics?” Gabriel shrugged. “I know you kicked her out for that very issue, and barely tolerated her during this whole debacle.”

”Why are you doing this to yourself? You said you’d never be part of another experiment.”

”What are my choices?” Gabriel hunkered into his hoodie, shoving his hands deeper in the pocket. “Stay like this or dissolve away. If there is a chance to get stable without machines or collars… At least then I might be able to pretend to be normal.”

”Then I’m coming with you.”

“Jack… that’s not necessary. And I don’t need you criticizing everything Moira does. This is unknown territory.”

Jack pinched his nose as he considered this possible future. Gabriel was right, if Jack knew anything about what Moira was doing he wouldn’t be able to stay silent. But thus far he had been tolerant. Mainly because Gabriel consented to these containments and tests now that he was not a mindless rampaging shadow. “Think about everything we have accomplished together. And where we have failed when acting separately. I would rather stand with you and bite my tongue through everything Moira plans so long as you knowingly consent to it. But if she tries to use you as an unwitting test subject again…”

“I get it. I get it… I was very clear with her on that part. It would be nice to have someone there. You’d really come with me?”

“Why is that so hard to believe?”

“You don’t know how to sit still. I can’t believe you put your resignation in to Petras. Though I’m surprised the man hasn’t given the go ahead yet. He always seems eager to kick you off your pedestal.” Gabriel chuckled. It was good to see the man almost back to his old self.

Shaking his head with an amused smile, Jack jabbed a finger into his friend’s shoulder. “One I didn’t create. I blame you completely.”

**Part 15: Amends**

Gabriel and Jack entered the commissary for lunch. It was a common occurrence now that Gabriel wasn’t tied up with Blackwatch business. While eating Gabriel went introspective and started to fidget with the cuffs helping hold him together. Jack noticed but Gabe shook his head to stop the question. Never enough time to explain. Gabriel opened a private line to Athena. “Athena, order a base wide evacuation.” Done quietly so none of the crowd in the dining hall can hear. 

Jack narrowed his eyes in concern and caught Gabriel’s scowl when Athena remarked to Jack. “Commander Morrison. Request confirmation.” Before this incident with Gabriel going berserk, Athena never would have needed to ask. But it was a protocol put into place should Reyes escape with ill intent towards the organization.

Gabriel twisted the cuffs agitated but his eyes remained on Jack trying to convey the seriousness of the moment. “Remember Oslo and Rome?”

Jack would never forget those disasters. “Athena, order a base wide evacuation. Gabe? What is going on?”

Sirens blared as the two soldiers stared at each other. Gabriel broke eye contact to watch the occupants of the commissary leave. “With all the free time I’ve been having, I researched into the arson investigations. Found similar components in both. Went about making sure those signatures did not happen here.” 

“And you found one.”

“Yes. It’s happening now.” The dining hall was empty save for the Commanders and Gabriel unclipped the cuffs from his wrists.

Jack wanted to ask so many things right then. How did his friend know for starters. But what came out, did not help. ”Gabe? You could do that the whole time?”

“I’ve kept them on voluntarily since I woke up realizing what they were doing.” Gabe reached behind his neck and tried the clasp there. He frowned. “Winston changed the code. I don’t have time to figure out the new one. Jack.” Gabriel looked up expectant. Even Jack could see Gabriel’s body trying to dissipate and the struggle to keep it in check. 

“There are other ways to do this. We have several bomb squads.”

“This is the most efficient way. I’ll be fine.”

Jack scowled.“No, you won’t.” 

“Then it is a good thing you know how to subdue me now. Jack, I’m not letting this turn into another Oslo or Rome. Let me do this. I’ve done enough damage. I can at least stop this.”

Jack sighed as he weighed his choices. “Be safe.” He made the decision. Undoing the collar keeping his friend together. Black smoke already trickled away from the man’s body and red glinted in his eyes. “We are going to Oasis to get this fixed.”

“You got it, Jack.” Gabriel managed a smile. When Jack made a promise he always followed through. Gabriel didn’t want to disappoint him. “Now get going. Make sure they’ve evacuated.”

**Part 16: Epilogue**

Jack entered the nearly empty apartment the two came to share wearing the red, white and blue jacket with the ’76’ blazoned on the back. Gabriel sat up from where he was dozing on the couch. “Where did you have that thing hiding?”

“Storage unit in Indiana.”

“Figures.” Gabriel snorted in amusement. He heaved himself up and let his fingers trace the numbers. “You never could give up the past.”

“It holds some great memories. And you made it.”

“I didn’t make it so you could go vigilante.” Gabriel motioned to the mask with red visor in Jack’s hand.

“Oh? Now you’re jumping to conclusions.” Jack raised an eyebrow to challenge Gabriel. His partner crossed his arms and gave him the glare saying he knew better. Jack shrugged as he backed down. “What can it hurt to help out? A bit of bounty hunting seems right up your alley.”

Gabriel sighed and relaxed his arms. His hoodie transforming into a similar jacket with the number ’24’ etched across the back. His jacket remained black and white, but he added a long leather duster past the waist. A large hood also appeared. A coat with all of his comforts and style. “Can’t let you get killed alone.”

Jack chuckled, watching the strange technology create the garment. “Admit it. You might not have wanted the position, but you missed the coat.”

“Alright…. I missed the coat. At least I wore it with flair.” Gabriel snapped up the hood. “So are we doing this or not?” A white skull like mask appeared in his hand. Jack grinned to see that his partner was just as impatient to get back to what they did best.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr at slytherinladyknight  
> https://slytherinladyknight.tumblr.com


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